


Love and War

by Guardian_of_Hope



Category: Power Rangers Mystic Force
Genre: Dating, Duty, M/M, Power Rangers - Freeform, Romance, Slice of Life, friends - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-07
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-09-15 13:49:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9237749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_of_Hope/pseuds/Guardian_of_Hope
Summary: Chip and Xander struggle to fit their relationship into their duty as Rangers, employees, and family.





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hybryd0](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hybryd0/gifts).



> Written for hybryd0 in the Alpha's Magical Fic Exchange.

The apple was sitting on the register when Xander got to work.  He’s lived in the states since he was seventeen, on a student visa to go to Rosewood University and study business management.  He’s nineteen, almost twenty, and the appearance of an apple in the Rock Porium should _not_ make him wonder if he should start thinking about going back to Australia when he graduates.

“Hey Xander!”  Chip calls, bursting out of Toby’s office like he’d been propelled by a cannon.  The energetically happy red head bounded over to him, waving a sweater in the most hideous shade of green like a flag.

“Hi Chip,” Xander said, not wanting to admit how tired Chip’s boundless energy made him feel.

“Toby and I were cleaning out the Lost and Found,” Chip said, “look what I found.”  He held the sweater up, revealing that it had a penguin on the front of it.  At least Xander hoped it was a penguin.  The black fins were lopsided, the white was really more of an aged yellow, and the beak was neither orange or beak-shaped, but looked more like a ‘v’ in an ugly reddish purple, like the worst lipstick shade in existence.  The worse offense, however, were the eyes.  “Look, the eyes light up!”  Chip said as he shook it.  The eyes, or rather the dozen tiny light bulbs that were vaguely in position for eyes, lit up.  One eye was the red that Xander saw in his dreams of hell, and the other was a yellow-white that flickered like a poor man’s strobe light.

“Isn’t it incredible?”  Chip demanded.

“It’s an abomination,” Xander blurted out, horrified.

“I know,” Chip said, he grinned, “I’m keeping it, it fits.”

“Oh no,” Xander said.  “I refuse to be seen with you wearing that thing.”  He reached in his pocket and held up two tickets, “And I was just thinking I had a date to the Godzilla marathon this weekend.”

“You got tickets?”  Chip said, “I heard they sold out in two hours this morning.”

“I camped out, first in line,” Xander admitted.

Chip looked at his sweater, and tossed it in the trash, “I have the best boyfriend.”  He announced.

“Xander,” Toby called, “You’re late.”

“Sorry Toby,” Xander said, “won’t happen again.”  He gave Chip a soft smile, “We’ll talk more later, right?”

“Right,” Chip said.

/./././.\\.\\.\\.\

“Whoever taught Udonna that adversity breeds character should be shot,” Chip muttered darkly as he scrambled up the path.

“What?”  Xander called back.

“Nothing,” Chip said.  He grabbed a slender tree and used it to boost himself up another few feet.  “Whose idea was it for us to go this way?”

“Vida,” Xander said, he leaned back against a different tree, “Something about girl problems.”

The two exchanged significant looks, because Vida didn’t use the phrase girl problems for herself.  Something was wrong with Madison.  There was a whole novel in their look, something they understood but no one else would.

“I’m sorry you’re missing the movies,” Xander said finally.  “I was looking forward to it.”

Chip shrugged, “It would have been awesome to see Godzilla on the big screen, but it’s not the end of the world.  Let’s go find these black rocks for Udonna and get out of here.  I’m sure we can find something to do.”

“We’re almost there,” Xander said, pushing away from his tree and starting to climb yet again.  Chip groaned softly and followed.

They cleared the tree line shortly after that, and stopped.  “Those clouds are awfully close,” Chip said.

“We’re pretty high up,” Xander replied, reaching over to take Chip’s hand.  “I remember one summer we went to New Zeeland on vacation, rented a cabin up in the mountains.  Some mornings, we’d spend inside because the clouds would be so low that we couldn’t see anything.”  He grinned at Chip, “Come on, let’s go for a walk through a cloud.”

/././.\\.\\.\

 

“Hey Chip, it’s Xander, it’s four thirty, we’re supposed to meet.” _Beep._

“Chip, it’s Xander, I’m at the restaurant and it’s five o’clock, are you okay, call me?”  _Beep_

“Chip, it’s Xander.  Call me.”  _Beep_

Chip closed his eyes for a moment, then looked at his aunt, “You couldn’t answer the phone for me while I was busy?”

Andy smiled at him, “That would have been wrong.”

“It’s Xander’s birthday, we were supposed to go out,” Chip said, pulling up Xander’s number.  “He’s going to think I forgot, that I stood him up.”  He hit the dial button, “I’m a horrible person.”

“Hello?”  A sleepy voice murmured.

“Where you asleep?  I’m sorry,” Chip said.

“No, it’s okay,” Xander said and yawned.

“I’m sorry I stood you up,” Chip blurted out.  “Aunt Andy had me catching up my chores.”

“Ah,” Xander said, “I’m glad you’re okay.  John told me something like that was going on.”

Chip smiled, “I was going to bring you a gift.”

“Was it a kiss?”  Xander asked, sounding more awake.

“Maybe,” Chris replied with a fond smile.  He glanced at his Aunt, then headed upstairs for his room.  “I promise, I’ll make this up to you.  Happy birthday, baby.”

“Thanks love,” Xander replied.

/././.\\.\\.\

“Here,” Xander said, sliding a tray onto the table beside Chip, “Breakfast dinner as promise.”

“Thanks,” Chip said, “the fireworks are late.”  Xander slid onto the bench behind Chip, settling into the corner of the rooftop wall and wrapping his arms around Chip as the smaller man leaned back against him.

“They’ll start soon,” Xander said, “the ‘site said it would start at seven.”  He snagged himself a piece of toast, “We just have to wait.”

A fireball suddenly exploded to the north of the city.  “That wasn’t fireworks,” Chip said, dropping his fork.

“Nope,” Xander said with a sigh.  “Let’s call the others.”

When the monster was defeated, Xander watched Nick speak with the fireworks coordinator.  They’d been working with the man to keep the monster away from the display for almost two hours, but in the end, they’d managed to pull it off.  Xander glanced at Chip, who was running gentle fingers over Madison’s side, assessing the damage under her uniform after her run in with a couple of brick buildings.

“We’re good to go,” Nick announced as he came back over.  Xander was pleased to note that Nick’s helmet was turned in Madison’s way.  They’d put enough bruises on Nick over the past few days that the message had clearly sunk in.

“Is everything okay?” Vida asked.

“Apparently, their timer was broken,” Nick said, “while we were fighting, one of their assistants was able to get it fixed, so they’re excited to get the show going.”

“We should go find seats,” Madison said, “spend New Year’s together, since we’re already here.”

Xander sighed and tried very hard not to think of the blanket and meal waiting back at his apartment.  Chip loved team bonding, and Xander loved Chip.  The team could be more important for at least a little longer.

/././.\\.\\.\

Xander was turning into a tree.

Chip wasn’t sure how he felt about it, but Xander was turning into a tree.  There was bark, twigs, and leaves, all the necessary aspects of a tree.

It was one thing to watch Xander wave his wand and cause a tree to grow, but those trees weren’t supposed to include Xander’s flesh and blood.

Not only was Xander turning into a tree, but they had to find the Fire Heart, and there was a monster to defeat.  It was a trifecta of awful and Chip could only hope that they managed to pull off another victory.  In the end, he had to trust that Vida and Claire would save Xander while he backed up Nick and Maddison against the monster and Toby solved the final puzzle of the Fire Heart.

On days like these, the yellow spandex was more a prison than a uniform, and the role of a yellow ranger was more a trap than a tool.

/././.\\.\\.\

“Charles Thorn, I’ll never forget the day you crashed into my life.  You were puppy sitting that grey menace and he knocked you into me.  We fell down a flight of stairs, I lost my phone, and you broke your glasses, but it remains the best day of my life.  We’ve had some adventures over the years, we’ve fought, we road tripped, my grandmother still talks about your trip to Australia with me, and yeah there was that year we were superheroes.  None of those things would have happened without you.  I stand here today to tell the world that I don’t ever want to live without you in my life and my heart.  With this ring, I make a promise to you, that I will always be there to catch you.”

Xander slid the plan gold band onto Chip’s finger and tried very hard not to cry.

“Alexander Bly, the day Wolf dragged me to you was the best day of my life too, broken glasses and all.  We’ve had so many adventures together, and you kept your promise, the one I thought impossible.  I’ve ridden a dragon and become a knight, I’ve been a superhero and riddled a sphynx.  Every impossible wish I made has come true, and you were there with me for all of it.  We did it, Xander, we defeated evil and saved the world.  I’ve reached so many of my life goals, maybe now it’s your turn.  I stand here today before God, the Power, and our families to make you a promise, it’s your turn to fulfill your dreams.  I give you this ring as a physical symbol of that promise.”

Chip slid his father’s ring onto Xander’s finger.

**Author's Note:**

> "Aunt Andy" is an original character developed in my Brotherhood 'verse as Chip's guardian and surrogate mother, brought over here to stand in as family. "John" is Andy's brother-in-law who lives on the farm with them as a part time farmhand and part time handyman.


End file.
